


Bareback

by reversewritings



Category: VIXX
Genre: M/M, Slice of Life, slow burn(?)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-23 21:31:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15615462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reversewritings/pseuds/reversewritings
Summary: In-between picking up a new hobby and managing the repercussions of certain sporting activities, Hakyeon finds himself muddled with the relationship between him and Taekwoon.Written for dyNamite Fic Fest prompt: What if Hakyeon had decided to learn horse riding in the end?





	Bareback

I.

 

“Do you think Hakyeon has been dancing in the sheets lately?" Hongbin asked Sanghyuk.

 

The sound of aggressive keyboard spamming and mouse clicking filled the dark room, with only the lights from their computer screens shining a pale sheen onto their faces. It was late into the night, but really, the only time they had to play games. Even during their lull periods, their mornings were jam-packed with university classes and other solo activities. It took a while for Sanghyuk to understand Hongbin's euphemism, the enlightenment leading to nothing more but a blanch at the imagery.

 

“Hyung, please…Why would you say that?" Hyuk groaned.

 

"Hakyeon has been complaining a lot about his bottom being sore these days." Hongbin’s ramrod posture betrayed his discomfort at possessing such information. Hyuk snorted, “why don’t you ask him instead?"

 

"You do know that there is no proper way to ask that without making things awkward, don't you?" Hongbin side eyed Sanghyuk and squinted. His eyes unable to leave the computer screen for more than a second but he'd risk his game to make his displeasure known.

 

“Well…if it is anything like how you put it…it sure sounds like he's getting fucked.." Sanghyuk muttered and Hongbin made a gagging noise.

 

"I wished he'd be more discrete." The conversation lulled, but as the game ended and they were placed into the wait queue for the next match, Sanghyuk’s curiosity piqued, “Who do you think is banging him? I mean, he barely leaves the house and I always see him on the couch. It's gotta be someone we know…”

 

“Hyuk…no…”

 

“Hey, I wasn’t the one who brought this topic up!” Hyuk grinned mischievously. From time to time, Hyuk indulged in getting a rise out of Hongbin. While he had the opportunity to tease his other hyungs in public, Hongbin had an easy-going personality and coupled with his near perfect nonchalant facade on camera, it is only in their comfortable moments can Hyuk try to hit a strike in. That being said, more often than not, Hongbin still had the upper hand when equipped with his sharp tongue.

 

“Maybe Taekwoon? They've been hanging out loads in each other's rooms lately.” Hyuk gasped a dramatic pause interim. “Oh god. It can’t be manager hyung-nim, could it?!"

 

“HYUK!” Hongbin slammed his finger down unnecessarily hard onto the spacebar, partially out of aghast and partially out of regret for bringing this topic up. ”We are not having a discussion on who's banging Hakyeon!”

 

“This is importa—” In the midst of his jest, the loud sound of fists slamming against the table and stationary toppling over echoed into Hyuk’s room from Jaehwan’s quarters.

 

"URGHH!!! IM TELLING YOU R3DBEAN AND DUCKFACE ON THE OPPONENT'S TEAM ARE HACKING!! THOSE MOTHERF*KERS. NO HUMAN CAN HIT HEADSHOTS LIKE THAT.” Jaehwan’s baby rage thundered into Hyuk’s room as he took it out on his tabletop items.

 

“Ack.” Hyuk flinched as he hastily turned off his monitor before Jaehwan, expectedly, came stomping into his room to continue his tantrum.

 

"Well. I guess it is time to call it a day.” Hongbin shut his laptop screen.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The curtains were drawn. Moonlight illuminated through the windows, lessening the inky darkness of their otherwise pitch black living room. Hakyeon made haste around the house. He had slept in a little, but nothing quick preparation couldn’t help to make up for the lost time. As he pulled on Wonshik’s black leather coat (Wonshik always got the good sponsors these days), he stopped in front of the full body mirror that was placed near their house door. Checking that his hair was in place and his blemishes concealed, Hakyeon flashed a smile at his reflection, satisfied at his own preparation. Even for a personal schedule, it was always important for him to maintain his well-kept looks.

 

“Where are you going?” A soft voice called and Hakyeon jumped sharply, caught unaware. In the peripherals of the mirror reflected a ruffled, blonde haired Taekwoon, propped up on an elbow from his lying position on the sofa.

 

“You scared me!” Hakyeon turned back to look at Taekwoon and exclaimed softly, careful to not wake any of the members that were still sleeping. Behind him hung their wall clock that read 4.25am.

 

“Why are you up so early?” Taekwoon pressed. Hakyeon frowned at being blatantly ignored but he turned back after thinking twice about nagging. He made his way to the shoe rack and sat on their parquet porch, lacing up the shoelaces to his riding boot.

 

“Why are _you_ up so early?” He grumbled, more to himself, before adding, “I’m going for horse riding classes. Took it up as an elective this semester. The riding fields are about a two hour drive out of the city so manager-nim is driving me there.”

 

“Oh.” Taekwoon had no idea Hakyeon had been taking riding classes. Though it was already mid-semester, he could not recall Hakyeon ever speaking a word of it and that fact left an oddly bitter taste in his mouth.

 

“Is that why you’ve been complaining about hip aches?” Taekwoon asked.

 

Hakyeon laughed bashfully, “Yes, getting used to the horse took some time,” pausing to grab his things, he continued, “hey, I’m going to be late if I don’t leave now, I’ll chat with you when I get home okay? How about dinner together tonight?”

 

Taekwoon stared at Hakyeon grabbing his belongings and turning to leave, a suspicious cat gaze tracing his movements. It was something Taekwoon always did whenever someone hid things from him. He did not have to know what Hakyeon was up to during his free time but given Hakyeon’s personality, he had always freely shared that information even without anyone asking. Or at the very least with Taekwoon. Taekwoon always had first dibs on Hakyeon gossip. An unwelcome twinge of annoyance tugged at his heart and in a spur of the moment, he caught himself asking, “Or I could come with you instead?”

 

Hakyeon’s head whipped back in shock.

 

“You could…but are you sure? It is going to take a few hours and…”

 

“Yea, let's go.” Taekwoon cut Hakyeon off before he could try and convince him otherwise. He had no schedule for the day and if Hakyeon decided to hide what he was up to, no matter how unintentional, Taekwoon took it as a personal bait to find out more himself. Standing up from the sofa, he dusted off his overly ripped jeans and rushed into his room to grab his necessities. He had reached home in the wee hours of the morning after a variety show recording and had not changed out of his clothes. It did not take him long to get ready.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Welcome back!”

 

Wonshik and Jaehwan walked through the door held open by a store attendant. It was obvious that the greeting was directed more towards Jaehwan rather than the both of them and Jaehwan gave a wry smile as he returned a half bow. Too many times had he patronized this shop and really, the number of clothes he had from here was getting out of hand. But then again, how could Jaehwan resist the lure of the latest fads and trends? He knew his way around the store well and made a beeline for the new arrivals as Wonshik trailed behind.

 

“Isn’t this too big for you?” Wonshik asked as Jaehwan came out of the fitting room.

 

“Really? I think it fits just right.” Jaehwan did a half twirl in front of the mirror to get a better look at how the jacket looked on him from behind. Wonshik hummed a non-committed reply, browsing through the shelves himself to see if anything caught his eyes. There was nothing much he could say to change Jaehwan’s mind once he gets charmed by an item. Wonshik noted that all the designs were flashy, much to Jaehwan’s style, but to his credit, pretty unique and fashionable. Shopping with Jaehwan always helped expose him to the newest trends and Wonshik was thankful for that. Too much time spent cooped up in his studio often led him to be left out from the now.

 

“I’m worried about Hakyeon.” An abrupt thought hit Wonshik and Jaehwan looked at him quizzically.

 

“He has been walking weird lately. Last week, while we were rehearsing, he danced as if he had a stick shoved up his ass.”

 

Jaehwan pondered on what Wonshik said, trying to recall if he had seen anything out of the norm last practice, but aside from Hyuk’s towering, muscular form, dancing deliciously in front of him and blocking his mirror view, he couldn’t seem to remember anything else. Though digging into his mind, he did recall a conversation between Hongbin and Hyuk recently, all the while brutally destroying him in a game a few days back.

 

“Hmmm…funny that you mention it now because I swear I heard Hongbin and Hyuk talking about this just a few days ago. Though I only managed to catch bits of the conversation..” Jaehwan said off-handedly, deciding that he was not really interested in the topic but keen to share nonetheless. What Hakyeon did in his private moments was hardly of any interest to him, especially not when he was out here adopting potential babies, these oversized rainbow hoodies deserved his fullest attention.

 

 _Damn, a thousand and three hundred?_ Jaehwan winced as he flipped the price tag on the piece he was currently wearing. On a normal day, he wouldn’t think twice, but it was nearing the end of the month and…he was close to swiping past his credit limit.

 

“You know…” Jaehwan eyed Wonshik carefully, “I might have heard something interesting…” Wonshik tilted his head in question as he waited for Jaehwan to finish his story.

 

 

“But…”

 

“But?” Wonshik took a step back unconsciously as he watched a loosely controlled, tight-lipped smile bloom on Jaehwan’s face, his eyes sparkled and if animation existed in real life, golden dollar signs would be reflected in the black of his iris. Wonshik shook his head slowly, slapping a hand over the pocket which held his wallet.

 

“Jaehwan…please…I don’t earn _tha_ t much.”

 

“Come on!! A small gift in exchange for quality gossip!!!” Jaehwan whined, stomping his feet and Wonshik had already lost half the battle at this point.

 

“Small?! Hyung! Not even the socks here would be considered a small gift!”

 

“Okay. Okay,” Jaehwan put both hands out, trying to negotiate his way out of this, “how about 50/50? We pay half each and we can share the goods, isn’t that great!”

 

“No!” Wonshik blanched at the thought of being seen walking out in that neon green shirt with the words ‘I <3 huge’ slapped across his chest.

 

“Wonshikieeeeeeee please?” By now, Jaehwan’s aegyo was on full throttle, “I swear I will pay you back if you’d just pay for me first.” There was no reason for Wonshik to give in. But he was fighting for a lost cause. Jaehwan always had this effect. On vixx, on his family, on anyone, he got close with. It was a skill Wonshik wished he could pull off but then again, not anyone could be shamelessly cute. He sighed as he fished out his wallet, Jaehwan’s credit credibility was anything but tiptop.

 

“You promise you’ll pay me back?” He asked in confirmation, worrying the edge of his credit card with his thumb.

 

“YES!” Jaehwan beamed as he skipped his way to the cashier.

 

“So what about the conversation between Hongbin and Hyuk?” Wonshik asked as he signed the receipt, Jaehwan busy checking his newly acquired baby for stray threads and defects.

 

“Hmm?” Jaehwan pondered, “oh! Nothing much, I just heard that Hongbin is fucking Hakyeon.”

 

“WHAT?!?” Wonshik exclaimed too loudly, scaring the cashier girl.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

The fields of rolling green was a pleasant sight. Out here in the countryside, cool fog mingled with the smell of freshly cut grass had the air tasting like the frothy foams of wheat beer. Taekwoon watched curiously as Hakyeon saddled up his horse.

 

“It’s a pity there isn’t an extra horse available today.” Hakyeon said, “we could have enjoyed the class together.” Taekwoon said nothing in return, his eyes still fixated on Hakyeon’s nimble fingers as he fastened the buckles. It felt weird that a creature so majestic could be so graceful. He didn’t know if he was thinking about the horse or Hakyeon.

 

“Hakyeon, are you ready?” A female voice called from outside the stables and Taekwoon turned his gaze away from Hakyeon to see a built woman, no more than an inch shorter than him, waiting at the gateway with a hand perched on her waist.

 

“Who’s this?” She gestured to Taekwoon.

 

“Good morning Instructor Lee!” Hakyeon beamed excitedly, “I’m sure you’ve seen him before on television! This is Taekwoon, another one of my children from vixx!” Taekwoon whipped his head back towards Hakyeon with a look of affront, ready to retaliate, but Hakyeon, anticipating the reaction, lightly slapped both his hands onto Taekwoon’s cheeks, squeezing them together. Taekwoon squawked.

 

“Taekwoon, meet instructor Lee,” Hakyeon turned Taekwoon’s face back towards the direction of the gateway forcefully. “He’s going to spectate my practice today.”

 

“I see!” Instructor Lee clapped her hands together, “well then, let’s get started shall we?”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Hakyeon confidently pulled his horse to a stop next to the fence where Taekwoon had been watching from the side. “How did I do?” He asked Taekwoon. Taekwoon had been silent ever since they had left the stables and Hakyeon was curious as to what was on his mind. He was usually good at reading Taekwoon’s expressions but now, he drew a blank. Though rightfully so, because Taekwoon’s brain was all fuzzed up with not a single coherent string of thought.

 

The sun had just but rose, yet to reach the mid of the sky, and atop of his horse, Hakyeon’s body eclipsed the sun. A sunburst glow enveloped his lithe form, and looking at Hakyeon from below, Taekwoon felt as if he was being greeted by a glorious medieval prince.

 

Hakyeon's horseriding had been enchanting. The way he clenched his thighs around the horse’s body, and the way his torso would edge forward when they sped up, maintaining his balance and steadying himself. His hands were small, but it gripped the reins tightly as he expressed dominance over his stead. His hair would whip into his face with each leap the horse made over a hurdle but Hakyeon’s focus was laser sharp. The fierce determination in his eyes had left Taekwoon breathless and the beauty of the nature surrounding them paled in comparison to the intrinsic glow Hakyeon gave out whenever he smiled victoriously with each successful stunt. He'd seen it a thousand times, but Hakyeon's beauty was always a shock and a delight.

 

“Nothing?” Hakyeon pouted disappointedly as Taekwoon continued to stare up at him.

 

"You looked beautiful." Taekwoon blurted out.

 

It took him less than a second to register what he had said before Taekwoon was sent blushing furiously, stalking his way back to their car in an attempt to hide the red that was made ever so prominent on his pale complexion.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

There were very few things in Hakyeon's life that can bring him to a stop, halt that enduring drive to take the unexpected with stride. But Taekwoon's rare words of compliment always seemed to have that subtle effect on him. He stood dumbstruck, pink dusting his cheeks as he watched Taekwoon's back retreating further from him as he sped walked away. The impatient horn of the car shook him out of his reverie, and a cordial smile broke upon his face as he ran forward to land a wholesome slap onto Taekwoon’s back bashfully before laughing out loud at Taekwoon's indignant gasp, overtaking him and stealing the stuffed toy the members always fought over when they took the same van.

 

 

 

 

II.

 

"Let's try part A again." Taekwoon pressed the broadcast button and spoke softly into the mic from behind the glass.

 

"Taekwoonie! You have to tell me what's wrong, we can't just keep recording the same part again and again until I finally get what you want on a fluke!" Hakyeon huffed from within the recording room. It was already their third take but Taekwoon hadn't been giving him much direction to work towards other than asking for more takes. It was times like these when he missed Wonshik's sharp directing. While Taekwoon looked to incorporate the singer's personality into his melodies, Wonshik tended to guide the singer to achieve the big picture that was already painted in his mind. The former, though idealistic, made each recording session longer than it should be.

 

"Nothing is wrong with the previous recordings," Taekwoon's eyebrows furrowed, "I just think that we could get a better version if we try a few more times. Don't think too much and go with the flow..." His soft voice floated into Hakyeon's ears through the headphones and Hakyeon could barely hold the swoon in.

 

"Mmmmmhm." Hakyeon nodded, a knowing smile blooming on his face, "Or maybe you just want to appreciate…” He whispered into the mic cheekily, cupping his face with his two hands adorably “…my beautiful face more?”

 

Well aware that Taekwoon would have been looking at him through the viewing glass, his laughter peeled gleefully at the cringeworthiness of his comment. The comment though had caught Taekwoon terribly off-guard and he splattered his coffee onto the scoresheet he was holding.

 

"W-what are you saying!!" Taekwoon hadn’t pressed the mic broadcast button, but from his wildly flapping arms and panicked expression, Hakyeon could hear the exact tone he said it in. He laughed harder, hands clutching his belly in an effort to ease out the knots, mischievously satisfied that he embarrassed Taekwoon.

 

"Sorry to interrupt but… y’all aren't the only people in this room. Could you please tone down on the flirting?" Hongbin deadpanned from the sofa, his fingers drumming his thighs impatiently. His judgemental glare burned holes into the back of Taekwoon's head and Taekwoon rubber banded back into his poker face. Hongbin had been waiting for his turn ever since lunch because Taekwoon had requested for him to sing the accompaniment for Hakyeon's part. On the way to the studio, they had stopped by for lunch and it was then Hongbin started to feel the beginning threads of being an unwanted third party. Amongst the small sneaky, gooey eye glances Hakyeon gave Taekwoon and Taekwoon’s periodic embarrassed faceplants, the pink in the air was almost tangible.

 

Hongbin hissed.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Often, Taekwoon found joy in worshipping the altars of Hakyeon's thighs, the roundness of his butt and the dip in his spine. At least once a day, Taekwoon would find his straying eyes appreciating hakyeon's well-defined lines and fullness. On some days, he would find Hakyeon laying belly down on his leather couch, lounging the day away with a book in his hand though his eyes were glued to the home shopping channel on television. He briefly wondered if it was the horse riding session that had brought his attention to such perverse realms and he thought about how Hakyeon would feel about his lingering gaze. These days, the extended time they’ve spent together in their practice rooms in preparation for a comeback had Taekwoon pushing his self-control to the limits. Self-control for what he wasn’t sure, but the drenched cotton linen that clung onto Hakyeon’s outline and the beads of sweat that trailed down his neck, only to disappear into the hem of Hakyeon’s shirt collar drove him crazy. Taekwoon groaned internally.

 

He wanted to see Hakyeon ride again.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Hakyeon's heart fluttered like the wings of a hummingbird. If this persisted on any longer, he might really have to get himself checked into the ER. He slapped his face, frustrated at the ridiculousness of the situation, but even the sting on his skin couldn't keep the bubbly giggles at bay. He flipped over, burying his face into his pillows to muffle his excited scream.

 

"You're being stupid!" Hakyeon berated himself, albeit unable to keep the tone of delight out of his voice.

 

The day had been mundane right up till evening. It was after vixx's practice session today did it all change.

 

"Hakyeon," Taekwoon had caught up to him right before he left, "Are your horse riding lessons on tomorrow?"

 

"Mmhmm! Gotta go back early tonight to catch some sleep~” He replied, still breathless from their practice.

 

"Oh." Taekwoon fidgeted on his spot. His feet shuffled awkwardly and a shade of red crept slowly but surely up from his neck to his ears. Hakyeon was taken aback because he could not figure out what was putting Taekwoon in a tight spot. Notwithstanding the fact that Taekwoon was rarely shy, but instead, loud and boisterous when it was just among vixx members, so the secondhand awkwardness he was getting from Taekwoon only served to perplex him.

 

"Could I join you tomorrow?"

 

Mustering up his courage, Taekwoon’s question was like an arrow released from a taut bow, piercing through the dense atmosphere between them and landing straight into the bull's eye of Hakyeon's heart. There was no reason for Hakyeon to feel anything more than friendship from this exchange, but oddly, it became his turn to flush a color of cherry red.

 

"O-oh! Of course!!" Hakyeon stuttered. "I'll ask manager-nim to wake you up too?“ His hands were burning hot, palms sweating and he desperately rubbed them on his sweatpants.

 

"Y-yea..see you tomorrow then?" Taekwoon nodded at Hakyeon and before even hearing his reply, stalked out of the practice room. Hakyeon stayed rooted at the door and released a big gulp of breath he didn’t know he was holding. He stomped his feet anxiously, trying to wipe the sudden surge of adrenaline out of his system. Be still my beating heart. He berated himself, putting both hands over his left chest in an effort to calm down.

 

“Ahem.” The sound of someone clearing his throat alarmed him. Hakyeon spun around in surprise, only to be faced with a Hongbin who had been standing behind him all the while.

 

“O-oh you haven’t left?” Hakyeon stuttered.

 

“Yes. If you would kindly let me pass.” Hongbin gestured towards the blocked door entrance. Hakyeon let out an aborted ah! and sidestepped, letting Hongbin out of the practice room.

 

Hongbin narrowed his eyes, his gaze never straying from Hakyeon’s form as he walked out.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

The car ride was silent as they made their way to the countryside. Taekwoon slept soundly, snuggled under his fleece coat. A soft snore escaped his lips with each breath he took and Hakyeon smiled. Many times he caught himself thinking about how Taekwoon was like a human cat, distrustful and shy of strangers, but careless and cute among close ones. Hakyeon could not resist the urge to brush Taekwoon’s fringe out of his face, the tip of his fingers grazing his smooth cheeks as he did so. He felt bad to do so but they were reaching their destination.

 

“Taekwoon…” Hakyeon nudged Taekwoon, “Taekwoon..! Wake up, we’ve reached…” Taekwoon blinked an eye open and yawned as he stretched his limbs out in the confinements of their car. “That was fast…” He mumbled. Disembarking the car, both Hakyeon and Taekwoon headed towards the stable.

 

“It was a little last minute yesterday, so I was unable to reserve an extra horse for you.” Hakyeon’s disappointed tone irked Taekwoon and he pats him on the back to show that he didn’t mind.

 

“It’s fine, I’ll just head towards the benches to watch you practice.” That was the plan anyway.

 

“Isn’t that boring though!” Hakyeon fret. It was rare for Taekwoon to voluntarily join him on a trip and he didn’t want a monotonous trip to dissuade him from continuing to tag along.

 

“No, it isn’t! It’s—” beautiful. Taekwoon couldn’t finish his sentence, his mouth turned dry at the expectant look on Hakyeon’s face. When it became obvious that Taekwoon had no intention to speak his mind, Hakyeon rolled his eyes and puffed his cheeks, both hands sticking onto his hips to express his annoyance, albeit jokingly. As Hakyeon finished saddling up his horse, a sudden thought hit him.

 

“Hey! We could just share the horse, can’t we? I’ve pretty much got the basics down and if you’d ride in front, I could hold your hands and guide you!” Hakyeon exclaimed.

 

 _W H A T._ Taekwoon stared at Hakyeon unblinkingly. This was not how he had expected the day to progress. He raised his hands in protest, hoping to dissuade Hakyeon from going through with the idea but it was no use. Rather than waiting forever for Taekwoon to voice his opinion on the matter, Hakyeon had already started nudging Taekwoon onto the footstool.

 

“Trust me! It’s going to be really fun!” A gleam of sparkle shone in Hakyeon’s eyes, happy that there was going to be someone he could share the joy of riding with. Taekwoon scrunched up his face, unsure if it was a good idea. He was naturally good with animals but his last experience with horses on VIXX’s One Fine Day had left a somewhat unpleasant memory with Jaehwan getting injured at the end of it. But there was nothing much he could do and before he knew it, with the support of Hakyeon’s hands on his arms, he had one leg swung over the back of the horse, both hands clinging tightly onto the reins in fear of falling off.

 

“Hakyeon! Are you sure…?” Taekwoon turned to Hakyeon nervously when the horse neighed at the sudden weight.

 

“Don’t worry, this will be fun!” Hakyeon beamed and like a professional, he heaved himself up, settling himself comfortably behind Taekwoon. The saddle was not huge, and with two fully grown man seating on it, it was a tight fit. Hakyeon had the front of his chest pressed flush against the back of Taekwoon and in that moment, a feeling of regret dawned on him. Not because he hated the skinship but because he could feel the start of his heart racing, betraying his neutral poker face. He could hear the palpitations of his heart in his ears and he prayed to god that Taekwoon could not feel the strong beats.

 

As Taekwoon was slightly taller than Hakyeon, their height difference made it such that Hakyeon’s eyes peaked over Taekwoon’s shoulders just enough that he could see the path ahead of them. Hakyeon reached his hand forward, placing his palms over Taekwoon’s cold hands which were on the reins.

 

“Are you ready?” Hakyeon asked, voice wavering slightly. The breath from Hakyeon’s mouth tickled Taekwoon’s neck and Taekwoon gripped the leather harder, clenching his jaws.

 

“Yea…”

 

“Alright! Lightly tap your right leg on the side of the horse to let the horse know that we can get going. Remember, not too hard!”

 

The moment Hakyeon kicked his gears into teaching mode, all tension and awkwardness between them dissipated. His clear crisp instructions spoken with a tone of authority snapped Taekwoon’s attention to the class at hand, following what Hakyeon says to a T so that they would not get into an accident.

 

They rode across the fields slowly, Hakyeon occasionally giving Taekwoon prompts so that he could effortlessly steer them in the right direction. With Hakyeon’s instruction, it was easy for Taekwoon to get used to leading the horse. Hakyeon had always said that he would have become a teacher if not for his idol career and Taekwoon could see how he would have been loved by his students. As Taekwoon got confident, Hakyeon slowly released his hands from the reins, letting Taekwoon take hold and guide them.

 

“There’s a pretty stream straight ahead, let’s head there.” Hakyeon murmured.

 

Hakyeon took his eyes off the road and for the first time, he was able to appreciate how broad Taekwoon’s back was close up. Taekwoon’s back had grown warm from the riding session and Hakyeon could feel the heat radiating out, a cozy warmth he wished he could bury his face in. On an impulse, he did just that. He wrapped his now free hands around Taekwoon’s waist, pulling them tight together as if they were in a back hug. He leaned his head on his back, taking in a deep breath. The musky scent of Taekwoon mixed with his cologne wasn’t exactly pleasant, but it was familiar, a scent he always got a whiff of during their performance. Taekwoon stiffened.

 

“Warm…” He groaned and Hakyeon giggled.

 

“You got to go faster then."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

“Let’s pull up to the riverside and take a break.” Hakyeon said.

 

Taekwoon carefully pulled the reins, willing the horse to stop. Confidently, Hakyeon swung his leg over and slid off the horse. He remembered the first time he tried getting off his horse without a footstool. The ground had seemed so much further than it should have been and he’d made such a huge fuss over getting down that his instructor had a great five minutes of tummy hurting laughs.

 

The river was beautiful. Its water, glistering and tempting under the filtered sunlight that spilled through the tree caps. Taekwoon bent down to scoop a handful of cool water in his palms, splashing it onto his face to freshen himself up. Using his sleeve, he wiped the excess water that got into his eyes. He turned around to look for Hakyeon and spotted him under the shade of a tree, making himself comfortable on the ground.

 

“Come join me.” Hakyeon said, patting the sand next to him. He smiled a paternal smile, rendering Taekwoon unable to decline. Side by side, the both of them sat quietly, taking in the sounds of water flowing downstream and cicadas cricketing. Taekwoon turned to his side to see that Hakyeon had his eyes closed, head leaning against the bark of the tree. His chest rose and fell in a steady tempo and Taekwoon wondered if he might have fallen asleep. He took in Hakyeon’s soft features. His pert lips was a hue of seashell pink, cheeks, full with baby fats. He remembered the one time when Hakyeon had lost so much weight, his cheeks sunk in and an unpleasant feeling stirred in his belly.

 

“You know,” Hakyeon suddenly said, “sometimes all these feels like a dream.” His eyes remained closed and Taekwoon continued to stare wordlessly.

 

“Sometimes I go home, walk through the doors of our dorm, see us fooling around and it just feels all too surreal. And every time I step out, I feel like I’ve woken up from a dream. What we have is so fragile and the thought of it breaking apart…makes me feel so scared.” As Hakyeon spoke his last words, he opened his eyes, meeting Taekwoon’s gaze straight on. The depth of his eyes were deep and Taekwoon could see his maturity reflected in it. A maturity stemmed from the many responsibilities and overthinking that Hakyeon always did.

 

“It won’t.” Taekwoon said. “What we have won’t ever break.” He was sure of it. He would make sure of it.

 

“Really?” Hakyeon asked as he sat up, pushing his back away from the tree bark. In this position, both of them were only mere inches apart. “How can you speak for everyone?” He frowned as he looked at Taekwoon.

 

“Hakyeon,” Taekwoon begin, “We all feel the same way. Jaehwan, Wonshik, Hongbin, Hyuk, none of us want what we have to disappear.” He grabbed onto Hakyeon’s shoulders, bringing them closer together.

 

“Trust me.” Taekwoon whispered. Their breaths mingled.

 

Hakyeon’s eyes widened. A blush spread across his cheeks at their unexpected close proximity. Hakyeon’s expression was unbelievably adorable. He iris cross-eyed as he tried to focus on Taekwoon’s face from such a close distance. Spontaneously, Taekwoon lifted his palm up to cup Hakyeon’s cheek, seemingly letting his flow of consciousness control his body like a puppet. Hakyeon flinched and shut his eyes tight, wrinkles forming at his canthi. He held his breath. Cheeks dusting pink as he let himself lean into Taekwoon’s palm. The atmosphere was tense and heat from their horse riding workout only served as a conductor, intensifying the sparks flying between them. Hakyeon puckered his lips, half expecting Taekwoon to lean in for a kiss but an unexpected gasp was heard and Taekwoon roughly pushed him away, leaving Hakyeon fumbling for support from the momentum of the force.

 

“…S-sorry.” Taekwoon stumbled back. He hurriedly shuffled onto his feet, dusting his pants off awkwardly. Hakyeon’s gaze remained at where Taekwoon used to sit. The mortification within him stripping off his courage to look up.

 

They froze in a standstill.

 

An awkward minute passed and Hakyeon stood up. His head remained bowed down, hiding his trembling lips as he uttered a series of incoherent words before running away from Taekwoon.

 

Taekwoon could only stare as he watched Hakyeon’s back grew smaller into the distance, one hand holding onto the reins of their horse that had unusually brought them together.

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, I WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGISE TO THE PROMPTER. TAT 
> 
> I know that you've noted that you would like no angst if possible, and I've actually planned out a 2nd half of the story which tied things up happily but the fic ended up longer than expected and I couldn't finish the rest up in time so I had to cut it short. I will post the 2nd part up so I can finally have some closure as soon as I finish writing and proofreading it. Otherwise, I hope this fill satisfies your prompt though I'm not very satisfied with how it turned out because I had frankenstein stitched everything up as the deadline drew closer :(
> 
> ps. there was supposed to be smut too so I guess I the rating will change in the future ><
> 
> Thank you to everyone who sat through this fic and a bigger thank you to the organisers of this fic fest! ^^


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